…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10, ESV)
One of the most heralded aspects of The Masters is the vibrant colors of the renowned Augusta National Golf Club. The perfectly manicured grass, framed by the budding azaleas, the majestic pine trees, and the stark white sand in the bunkers, provides a visual that is hypnotizing.
Did you know that the sand at The Masters comes from Spruce Pine, N.C.? As the story goes, it was the early 1970s, and Clifford Roberts was looking to change the sand at Augusta National. Mr. Roberts was the club’s co-founder and CEO. He had heard about the white sand that was coming out of the mountains of North Carolina.
Mr. Roberts, who at the time was a seasonal resident of the famed Grandfather Golf and Country Club, reached out to Bob Kletcke, the Head Professional at both Grandfather and Augusta National. Kletcke arranged a meeting with Claude Greene, who owned the crushed stone mine producing the sand.
The meeting was held at the neighboring Linville Golf Club, between Roberts, Kletcke, Greene, and others. As told to Harris Prevost by Wayne Smith, the meeting made its way to the greenside bunker on hole #1.
Roberts loved the sand’s pure whiteness, but wanted to see how it played. According to Smith, “Bob Kletcke hit a few shots out of the sand, and that was it.” Mr. Roberts stated, “That’s enough. I know what I want.” Roberts wanted 13 boxcar loads of this perfect sand delivered and as you watch this year’s Masters, you’ll see that same perfect quartz sand from Spruce Pine, N.C.
Clifford Roberts knew what he wanted. As a follower of Jesus Christ, do you know what you want? Better yet, do you know what He wants you to want?
In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul presents several attributes of genuine followers of Christ, which further distinguish the genuine from the false converts (vs. 1-3).
In vs.4-11, Paul gives his personal testimony of his encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:1-9). As he reflects on the sovereign act of God’s salvation, he simultaneously disproved the false teaching of the Jewish legalist (see v.2), who taught that Jesus wasn’t enough.
Paul reveals that there’s nothing greater in his life than what he has gained in Christ (vs. 8-10), and that what he wanted had changed.
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.”
To know Christ is to be in a relationship with Him. This relationship begins when someone comes to saving faith in Christ. Paul had this on the Road to Damascus. He also wanted to know the power of His resurrection.
Judaizers were proclaiming there was power in the Law. False. The only power Paul wanted was the power of Christ’s resurrection (Romans 6:4-5).
This same power is what transforms the life of every follower of Christ. God’s power was displayed through His grace when His Son died on the cross of Calvary.
This is the power the Holy Spirit gives us when we speak the gospel into the lives of others. This is the power that sustains us when we make Christ the Lord known (see Matthew 28:18-20).
What does God want you to want? He wants you to know Him and make Him known. That’s it. That’s what we should want – to know Him and make Him known. May God use each of us to this end.
Prayer: Father! May I be found faithful to your desire for my life, to know you and make you known. Amen